Let Hope Be My Magic
by BlindingFirefly
Summary: During Olivia Price's third year at Hogwarts, she knows that the Ministry of Magic is working to prevent Grindelwauld from carrying out his threat of a mass Muggle killing. Can she do what is necessary to stop it from happening? Set before Voldemort.
1. Broomsticks and Bridesmaids

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's characters, settings, ect.

Note: This is the first chapter of Olivia Price's third year at Hogwarts. If you want to read her story (and believe me, you want to. It's going to figure heavily into the future, especially as where it concerns Harry and Dumbledore) then it is absolutely necessary for you to go back to the beginning and read through her first and second years. The story holding Olivia's first year is titled "Let Music Be My Magic," while her second year is under "Let Friendship Be My Magic." For those of you who have stuck with me, thanks so much. Our little Olivia is going to be doing some changing and some growing this year, and I can promise some good action! Well, good action even though the year I'm most looking forward to will be in her fourth year…but still, stick with me! Please, review and let me know what you think! I need encouragement…

BlindingFirefly

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Olivia Price groaned and put her head in her hands. "Please, don't tell me that we have to do the seating chart _again_, Miss Rebecca!" The witch's voice came from the recesses of her arm, making it slightly muffled.

Rebecca Pullman's laugh ran through the Muggle kitchen, as she shook her head, causing her golden hair to fly from side to side. "No, no, dear! I'm sorry that I frightened you. When I said that I wanted to talk about the positions at the wedding, that's not what I meant."

"Oh," said Olivia, feeling like she should insert her foot into her mouth. "Well, then, what did you really want to talk about, before I had my mild temper tantrum?"

"It wasn't a temper tantrum, dear. If we had had to redo that list again, then you would have seen a real temper tantrum! Everybody knows that brides-to-be can be quite temperamental. Isn't that the case, Peter?"

Peter Williams, Olivia's guardian, had been sitting at the kitchen counter, nursing a tea and whiskey. When Rebecca asked her question, he had the distinct look of a rat in a trap; Olivia knew that he hadn't been listening. The young man looked pleadingly in Olivia's direction behind Rebecca's back, begging for her to give him a clue as to the right answer. She emphatically shook her head.

"Oh, of course not, Rebecca dear! That's not true at all!" Rebecca turned and placed a kiss on his cheek, and when she had turned away, Mr. Williams sent a grateful look and a wink in Olivia's direction. She smiled broadly, but then found her thoughts being taken to different places.

She had been home for two weeks now, and the wedding would be in only another fortnight. Olivia was so happy that her guardian had finally found someone to spend his life with, and such a lovely woman at that. Miss Rebecca added so much to their lives-she was cheerful, intelligent, and supportive. Olivia found that she wasn't afraid to tell her future "aunt" all about her life at Hogwarts, and Miss Rebecca seemed sincerely interested in her education. What with the joy of being home again, and discovering that her favorite wizarding family, the Potters, lived a short walk away, Olivia found that she was thoroughly enjoying her vacation. While she missed being able to perform magic, and seeing her friends and favorites teachers on a daily basis, she still found plenty to be thankful about.

This next year would bring about her third year at Hogwarts, and Olivia was excited. At the end of the last term, she and all the other second year students had chosen what classes they wished to add to their schedules. Olivia had been careful to talk with her friends and teachers about just which classes were the best to take. Professor Dumbledore and Robert had ended up giving her the best advice.

"I wish I could say that I foresee trouble for you if you take Divination," said Professor Dumbledore, looking perfectly serious, "but that wouldn't be an accurate statement on my part, seeing as how I never studied it." Olivia grinned appreciatively at Professor Dumbledore's joke, but he had continued most solemnly. "Knowing you as I do, Miss Price, I would say that you would find Divination to be a dreadfully dull and, shall we say, fuzzy subject. It is not substantial; there is nothing certain in it. Beside, who are men to interfere with the future?"

Olivia found that she agreed wholeheartedly with this, and decided to strike Divination from her list of possible subjects. Robert's advice had been much more straightforward. "Don't bother taking Muggle Studies; it would be pretty pointless for you, seeing that you are Muggle-born. If I were a smart, young witch like you, I should take Arithmancy. Hardly anybody does, as it's known for being extremely difficult, but I've also heard that it's dead useful. Besides, I don't think it would give you much trouble in any case. I think I'd also take Care of Magical Creatures. It's a nice, active class, and you'll never know when the skill of telling a crup from a dog will come in handy!" After researching both subjects a bit more, they were indeed what she put down for her additional study. Of Olivia's roommates, all of them but Viola were taking Magical Creatures, and everybody else had chosen either Muggle Studies or Divination as their other subject. None of them would be taking Arithmancy.

When Olivia had asked Viola why she wouldn't be taking Care of Magical Creatures, the excitable French girl's answer couldn't have been clearer. "Ooo, only zink of zee 'orrors of such large aneemals, Ohleevea! I couldn't face zem! Non, it eez far bezzer theez way. In Ancient Runes, nozzing will bite you!" Viola, therefore, would be the only one taking Ancient Runes.

"Olivia? Livie, are you listening to me?" Olivia jerked her head up with a snap, and saw that Miss Rebecca was looking at her with concern. "Darling, are you all right? You looked a thousand miles away!"

"Sorry, Rebecca," said Olivia, unconsciously dropping the proper "miss," which Rebecca hated anyway. "I was just thinking-nothing's wrong. What were you asking me?"

Rebecca sat down and took Olivia's hand in her own. "Dearest girl, I was just asking if you would like to be my maid-of-honor at the wedding. I have no sisters, and I can think of no one better suited for the job. Would you please do it? It would please me so much, and you Uncle Peter too, I'm sure."

"Oh, Rebecca!" Olivia said, her eyes filling with tears. "You've no idea how much I'd love that! Are you sure you want me? I won't even be thirteen until November! Am I not too young to be a maid-of-honor?"

Mr. Williams laughed. "Nonsense! Of course she wants you, Livie. We talked it over last night when Rebecca realized that there was no one that she'd rather ask. Besides, I think it fitting for our almost daughter to have a prominent place at our wedding. It would be like binding us together, making us a true family. Now, why don't you answer Rebecca's question?"

Olivia squeezed Rebecca's hand warmly. "Thank you so much, Rebecca. I would be so happy to be your maid-of-honor!" Rebecca swept Olivia up into a warm hug, and the young witch distinctly heard her guardian blowing his nose loudly.

Rebecca pulled out of the embrace, and then said, "Now, then, I'm afraid I must confess something. I fibbed earlier-we really do have to re-do the seating charts."

Olivia briefly wrestled with the two sides of her. One side called for doing the honorable thing and helping Rebecca with the dreaded list. The other told her to grab her cloak, run down the lane, and get to the Potters as fast as she could.

The latter course won.

"Gee, Rebecca, I'd so love to help, but…I promised Robert I'd help his mother plant flowers this afternoon! So sorry, got to run, good luck with the list!" Olivia jumped up, grabbed her cloak, and was out the door in one swift and smooth motion. Before the kitchen door slammed behind her, she could hear Rebecca and Peter break out into laughter.

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After trudging through the park across the street from her guardian's home, Olivia finally broke through the tree line and saw the Potter's lovely home before her. The lights in the tower were bright even in the middle of the day, and the stone walkway up to the front door was perfect for an informal game of hopscotch.

Just as she was approaching the bright yellow door, it suddenly flew open, and a small blur came darting out of it, colliding with Olivia. "Oomph!" Olivia said, as all of the wind was knocked out of her when the blur's arms were wrapped tightly around her middle.

"Hi, Livie! Livie, I missed you! Have you come to play?"

Olivia gasped slightly as she chuckled, and disentangled the arms from around her waist. "Hi, Angie!" she said, breathing hard. "It's good to see you, too. Are you sure you aren't an Animagus? Because I could have sworn that you flew just now, coming out the door!"

The small girl giggled, and her bright blue eyes looked up into Olivia's emerald ones. "Do you really think I flew, Livie?"

"Oh, without a doubt! Come on, why don't we see what's going on inside?" Angelica nodded happily, and then she took Olivia's hand and pulled her to the door.

"Auntie Elise! Auntie Elise, look who's here! It's Livie!" Olivia almost fell over as the five-year-old yanked her over the front step.

"Angie, really! We don't want Olivia to break her jaw when you pull her to the ground, now, do we? Let the poor girl come inside!" Olivia smiled when she heard Elise Potter's voice. Robert's fussy and slightly odd mother always made her laugh. She came into the hall now, and detached Angelica from Olivia's hand. "Merlin's beard, Angelica, you can't treat Olivia like she's a dog on a leash! Go on outside, now, dear, and tell Robert who's here. Run along, now!"

As Angie's feet pounded against the floor, Mrs. Potter pulled Olivia into a warm hug. "Hello, love. It's good to see you again!"

Olivia gave Mrs. Potter an affectionate look. "Aunt Elise, you know I was last here only two days ago! You can't have missed me that much."

"Never mind days, dear. We're always happy to see you! How are the wedding plans going?"

"Up and down," said Olivia, shuddering. "I barely escaped from the clutches of a seating chart. Miss Rebecca is still trying to figure out which relative to place by whom. Aunt Cecily surely can't sit by Great-grandmother Tabitha, they loathe each other! And of course, Second Cousin Georgina is entirely too sweet upon Uncle Peter's co-worker, so they can't sit together. It's all a frightful mess to me. Of course, I'm Uncle Peter's only living relative, so it's not like our family is going to cause a great deal of bother. He's only invited a few people from his job, and," Olivia said, looking hopeful, "we were hoping you and Uncle Harris and Robert could come as well. You're like family to me, too."

"Dear, Merlin knows how much we would enjoy coming! However, it's set two weeks from today?" Olivia nodded. "I'm afraid that we're going to be out of town that day. Now that Robert can Apparate, we're going down to the seaside for a nice, little vacation before Rob has to begin his Auror training. That day is the only day that wizards can Apparate to the seaside, so we can't choose another day. I _am_ sorry, dear."

"Well, I can't pretend that I'm not disappointed, but I understand. I do hope that you will have a great time!"

Mrs. Potter squeezed her hand. "Maybe next year you can come with us, Livie. That would be fun, wouldn't it?"

"Come where, Mum?" Olivia turned at the sound of Robert's voice. He was just entering the kitchen, his hair more unruly than ever.

Mrs. Potter sighed. "To the seaside with us, Rob. I was just saying that I did hope she could come next year. But goodness knows why she would want to, especially with your hair looking like that! What _have_ you been doing?"

The young man grinned broadly. "Riding my broom, Mum, of course! What else would I be doing?"

"Well," she said sharply, but with a twinkle in her eye, "I'm _sure_ I don't know, but I should think that there would be more valuable things you could be doing with your time."

Robert boldly ignored this comment, and turned to Olivia. "Hi, Liv. Want to come outside and practice Quidditch a bit?"

Olivia smiled regretfully. "I don't have my broom, Robert. I barely escaped today, let alone managing to bring a giant broomstick with me!"

"Never mind that, you can use Mum's. It's not quite as good as yours, but it'll do. Come on, now, you know you want to!"

"You've twisted my arm. I'm coming." Olivia followed Robert, smiling at the tree that was growing right through the walls of the kitchen. It was the most notable feature of the whole house, and right now the leaves were a brilliant green, making the kitchen look quite cheerful.

They spent a pleasant hour zooming around the backyard, Angelica often riding behind Robert on his broom. Eventually, however, they dropped the young girl off at the house so that she could have a snack, and the two older ones began to practice seriously on Quidditch. Robert had managed to attain a real Bludger, and he and Olivia batted it furiously back and forth at each other. It was Olivia's fondest ambition to make the Ravenclaw Quidditch team the next year. She had been a reserve last year, but now that she was older and had found what position she wanted to play, she knew that she'd have a better chance of getting a prime spot. Eventually, one of her more particularly ferocious hits sent Robert spiraling to the grass, unable to avoid the heavy Bludger's destructive path. It aimed directly for his nose, and he was forced to roll completely off his broom.

"I surrender, I surrender!" Olivia zipped down to join him on the ground, where her friend was busy wrestling the Bludger back into its case. Finally he managed it, and he turned breathlessly back to Olivia. "Merlin's beard, I'm bloody glad that I never had to play against you, Olivia! You're enough to drive an opposing team mad!"

She tried to look apologetic, but failed miserably. "Sorry, Rob. Are you all right?"

He looked offended. "Of course I'm all right! I'm the former captain of the Gryffindor Team, Miss, or have you forgotten that? I've dodged more that one Bludger in my time, and fallen several more times. A little dive to the ground is not going to shatter me into pieces."

Olivia got an evil look in her eye. "A dive didn't shatter you, but you managed to break your ankle trying to jump over the giant squid's tentacle two years ago? Oh, yes, you're quite the hardy man."

Robert pretended to be completely insulted, and wouldn't look at Olivia until she stopped laughing at him. "Well, now that you've gotten all of that nonsense out of your system," he said witheringly, "are you ready to go in now?"

She nodded, and put her borrowed broom away carefully. As the friends walked up to the house together, she asked hesitantly, "Robert, do you really think I can make the team?"

"No," said Robert, and Olivia sighed and cast her face to her feet. "I don't think, I know."

"Oh, you!" Olivia said, and punched him hard in the arm.

"Ouch! Save it for the Quidditch pitch, would you? Bloody hell, you look so small and delicate! Where do you get so much…energy?" Robert said, as he rubbed his throbbing arm.

Olivia sobered at the question. "I don't know, exactly. I guess I just save up all my anger and frustration, and take it out on the Bludgers."

"Well, the Bludgers and Malfoy," said Robert, reminding her of the Slytherin student that was her mortal enemy.

"Balderdash! If you think that flashing tattoo last year was bad, just wait until you see what I've got in store for him this year!" said Olivia, her eyes glinting.

Robert shook his head apathetically. "I almost don't even want to know….never mind, scratch that. I do want to know. What's the plan, O Malevolent One?"

"Oh, nothing terribly huge…well, malevolent, anyway. You'll just have to wait and see, just like everybody else." Robert groaned. "All I'll say is that no one will want to be around him once I'm done-and that includes the Dumb Duo, Dawkins and Dennet!"


	2. A Declaration of Independence

Disclaimer: Anybody that you do know is Rowling's. Anybody that you don't know is mine.

Note: Sorry about the length of this. I got a little carried away. However, this is only the beginning to a lovely convoluted plot for this year of Olivia's education. Do enjoy, "Hope" will be much more organized than "Friendship." Review!

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The next few weeks flew by, and the wedding came together beautifully. They would be holding the ceremony at a local church, but the reception would be in their own back yard. After the reception was over, Uncle Peter and Miss Rebecca would be leaving on their honeymoon to Spain, and Olivia would go and stay with the Potters until they got back.

On the morning of the wedding, Olivia woke up early, even though the ceremony wouldn't be until that afternoon. While the original plan had been for the wedding to take place at seven o'clock in the evening, they soon realized that that time wouldn't leave enough daylight for the reception, so they had moved it up to two o'clock. Still, there was no reason for Olivia to be awake at six, because everything was prepared and ready. All that she and Uncle Peter had to do was to get dressed and get to the church on time. Still, she hopped out of the bed and looked out the window, where she was relieved to see a bright and sunny day. Just then, someone knocked on her door, and when she had given permission for the person to enter, Uncle Peter stuck his head in.

"I thought I head you stirring in here. What are you doing up so early?" Olivia's guardian came into the room and put an arm around Olivia's waist while he asked.

She grinned up at him. "I'm too excited to sleep anymore. So now, I'll ask you to the same question. What are you doing up so early?"

"Same as you-I'm too excited!" They laughed easily together, and then Uncle Peter asked seriously, "Are you sure that you're all right with this, Olivia? No regrets?"

"I'm sure, Uncle. I love Rebecca, and I think that she fits into our family perfectly. Now cheer up! Everything's going to be perfect. Well, as long as you get your tie on straight!"

He groaned. "I never can manage the bloody thing…are you sure you haven't charmed it just to vex me?"

"Of course not! Besides, I'd have much more fun charming to come undone at the moment you say 'I do,' anyway."

"You little vixen!" He laughed, tweaked her nose, and then left the room.

The rest of the morning was very quiet. Olivia played the piano for her Uncle Peter, who declared it to be soothing. They ate a picnic lunch together outside, and then went back into the house to dress for the wedding.

Mrs. Fidgetworth met them at the door. "Where were you two, anyway? Hurry up, now! You don't want to miss your own wedding, now do you, sir?"

Mr. Williams muttered something under his breath about blasted old biddies, and then hurried to do the housekeeper's bidding. Olivia giggled and followed his lead.

Mrs. Fidgetworth had already placed her bridesmaid's dress on her bed, and after putting on the multitude of undergarments necessary for such a dress, Olivia pulled it over her head and buttoned up the tiny pearl buttons.

The dress was made of a rich emerald green that made her eyes sparkle and her red hair shine. It was a young lady's dress, made of stiff satin and with sleek sleeves that hugged her curves like a dream. The skirt blossomed out and just touched the top of her high heeled white boots with pearl buttons. It was a simple dress but that suited Olivia-she didn't like a lot of lace or frills.

With a guilty expression on her face, Olivia pulled out a contraband tub of hair potion that she had brought home with her from school and with its magical help, tamed her curly hair and wound it into an elegant French twist on the top of her head, sleek and smooth. Her one concession to popular attire was a small satin purse that tied at her wrist, a vanity bag. It was supposed to only hold a comb and a handkerchief, but Olivia's held something different. Her wand and phoenix feather she left sitting on her bedside table, but she placed the small golden ball that Professor Dumbledore had given her for Christmas inside her vanity bag, the Assistball. She was never without it, and now wasn't the time to start. With a touch of violet perfume at her wrists and behind her ears and a simple gold chain with a pearl pendent around her neck, Olivia looked into her mirror at the results.

It was not a young girl of twelve who looked out at her from the mirror, but a young lady of at least fifteen, she decided. Her eyes snapped with excitement, her complexion was porcelain, and she looked radiant with happiness. She heard Uncle Peter knock on her door and come in when she gave permission.

He was looking down at his troublesome bowtie and didn't see her at first. "Liv, could you help me with this? It's being such a bother…" She smiled, and swished forward to help her uncle. He looked up and gasped at the sight before him.

"Darling! Do you realize how beautiful you look?"

Olivia shook her head smilingly. "Of course I do! But here, let me help you with that." She reached forward and took Mr. Williams' tie from him. He was still gawking at her appearance.

"If Rebecca looks as nice as you do, I don't know what we shall have to do in the face of it! In fact, I hope everybody is able to take their eyes off of you for a moment and be able to even look at Rebecca."

Scornfully, she replied, "Don't be silly, Uncle. I'm just the decoration; Rebecca is the bell of the ball. And now that that's fixed," she said, finishing with the tie, "you look quite dashing yourself. I think you'll do."

"Thank you dear. Now, shall we get to the church on time?" He offered his arm to Olivia chivalrously, who took it without any hesitation.

"Of course!" They walked outside to the waiting car, and stepped inside to be taken to the church.

It was a magical, wonderful wedding that Olivia would never forget. The aisles of the Gothic church were decorated with white satin ribbon and calla lilies, the bells rang most joyfully, and Rebecca was a dream in white satin and silk. She refrained from using the current style of wedding dresses, in which the gowns were covered in beads and embroidery. The dress was simple, elegant, and just right for Rebecca's delicate beauty. Olivia had walked down the aisle just in front of her new aunt, and the entire audience had gasped at the sight of them together. Olivia knew that she would never forget the look on her guardian's face when he saw Rebecca walking towards him-it was a look of greatest joy, anticipation, and hope. As they said their wedding vows, Olivia wished and hoped that their lives together would always be happy and that they would always be given their needs and desires.

When the bride and groom had kissed, they both reached out and pulled Olivia into their embrace. And there it was; it was their first hug as a real and united family. There wasn't a dry eye in the house when everyone saw the rapture that was on Uncle Peter's face, the joy in Rebecca's, and the hope and pleasure in Olivia's. They walked back up the aisle together, holding hands and laughing. Olivia left them at the entrance to the church, though, that they might ride by themselves back to Uncle Peter's house and have some alone time. She rode back to her home with one of her guardian's friends.

The reception, held in the crisp, clear summer afternoon, was bright and sparkling. A small orchestra played and people waltzed and ate delicate cookies and drank punch. Olivia eventually got to waltz with her uncle, and he smiled down at her. "So, darling-what do you think of my kind of magic?"

Smiling gently up at her guardian, she replied, "But uncle, this is my kind of magic, too. Even Professor Dumbledore would agree-love is the greatest kind of magic of all." He kissed her lightly on the cheek and they whirled away, under the tear-filled eyes of Rebecca.

Just as the music was ending, Mr. Williams leaned down and whispered softly into his ward's ear, "Oh, Livie. It's my greatest desire that you would know this magic someday. Someday, love will be your magic, as it is mine today." She said nothing in return, but she nodded solemnly before they began to applaud the orchestra for its lovely music.

Finally, the last dance came, and Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca were finally united. The last dance at weddings only allowed married couples to be on the floor, so Olivia sat down at one of the tables and watched closely. Only a few couples were dancing to the carefree waltz; everyone else was getting one last cup of punch and talking softly amongst themselves.

Suddenly, a flash of light came from one of the far corners of the yard, and a young couple that had been sitting at the table nearest the light went flying forward. Pandemonium erupted as the sound followed the light, a booming sound that meant only one thing: an explosion. Not even taking the time to wonder why a bomb had gone off at her guardian's wedding, Olivia began to reach into her vanity big to retrieve her Assistball when screams reached her ear. Olivia could hear her guardian calling her name, but she could see that people were hurt-even though she didn't have her wand, she probably had the most medical training of anyone there. She ran towards the victims.

When she neared the corner of the yard, she found that the young woman's head had been sliced by a bit of rock, and the young man was groaning, bending over an obviously broken arm. People were gathered around them, moaning and crying. Somebody had to take control of the situation, and Olivia did just that.

"Back!" she cried in ringing tones. "Get back-let me see them!" Surprisingly, the older people obeyed her authoritative voice and backed away. "Bring me some napkins, and grab a tablecloth while you're at it! Somebody call the police!" People rushed away to do Olivia's building while she told the young woman to lie down so that the blood flow would slow. Olivia recognized the hurt woman as distant cousin of Rebecca's by the name of Prudence Hopkins. Prudence's eyes were wide with shock as she looked at the blood on her hand.

"Head wounds always bleed a lot, Prudence. Don't worry," Olivia said as she examined the cut, "it's long but it's not deep. Some stitches and a bandage and you'll be fine." Somebody thrust the napkins into Olivia's hand, and she pressed them onto Prudence's wound. "Here, somebody hold this _tightly_ against her head, it'll stop the bleeding." As she moved towards the young man, she asked, "Has anyone called the police?"

"I did," huffed Mrs. Fidgetworth, coming up behind them. "The police and an ambulance are on their way, Olivia. What can I do to help?"

Olivia didn't answer-she was too busy trying to get the young man lie still. "Austin, you're going to hurt your arm worse if you don't be quiet," she said sternly. "I need to wrap this up a bit, or you're going to jar the bones. It's going to hurt. I need two strong men here!" she cried out.

Immediately, a co-worker of Uncle Peter's and Rebecca's cousin, Geoffrey, stepped forward. "What do you need?" asked Geoffrey.

"Hold him down! I need to wrap his arm, and he isn't going to like it. If he moves too much, though, he might make the bones come through the skin, and then it'll really be bad. He could lose his arm."

"Are you sure you're qualified to do that, Miss Price?" Olivia heard an older woman ask. The young witch cast the simpering fool a withering look and didn't dignify it with an answer.

Mrs. Fidgetworth did, however. "Hold your tongue! Do you see anybody else who knows what they're doing? Olivia's gotten medical training at her school, and that ought to be good enough for the moment."

There were too many people standing around Olivia, and she could never stand people breathing down her neck. "For goodness' sake, give me some room! Everybody back away; besides, we don't know if there's another bomb or not."

Everybody quickly did as they were told and eventually Olivia managed to wrap Austin's arm securely. When she had finished, she leaned back on her heels, feeling exhausted. Her hair was slipping from its French twist, and she was sweating from the effort of holding Austin still while working over his arm. A moment later, the sounds of sirens reached their ears, and a constable car and a small ambulance pulled into the cottage lane.

In the ensuing chaos while Prudence and Austin were packed up and taken away to the hospital, Olivia quietly got up and examined the smoldering remains of a bomb. It had been placed behind a tree close to the wedding festivities. Her keen eye observed every part of it, looking for clues. At first, all of the weapon's parts looked Muggle made, and nothing pointed toward wizard activity; but something kept itching at her. A small feeling kept raising the hair on the back of her neck, begging her to notice something. Finally, she realized that the feeling was magic-magic surround the device. _It must have a detonator that uses magic!_ Olivia thought. _But if it was Grindelwauld again, why would he have used a bomb? That wouldn't give him any credit at all-people would say that it was just a Muggle that planted it. It doesn't make any sense._

Olivia could see Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca talking seriously with a constable, and most of the other wedding guests had left immediately after Prudence and Austin were taken away. The young witch realized that no Muggles would ever suspect wizard involvement, but the Ministry still needed to be informed, just in case. But she couldn't sue magic; it wasn't a life or death situation. She needed help with this.

Reaching into her vanity bag, Olivia pulled out the small golden ball that she had placed in it earlier. Uncertain as to how it worked, she cupped it in both hands, looked hard at its glossy surface and whispered, "Professor Dumbledore, this is Olivia. Please, sir, I need your help."

She gasped when the gold on the ball rippled, and a face appeared looking up out of it at Olivia. It was Professor Dumbledore, looking supremely worried. "Olivia? What's wrong? Are you all right?"

Nodding quickly, she said, "I'm fine, Professor, but something is terribly wrong here. A small bomb just went off at my uncle's wedding reception, and I think there's magic on the detonator."

A grim look came over the teacher's face. "I see. Are there many Muggles about, Olivia?"

"There are a few, though not as many as there were earlier; now it's just my aunt and uncle and a few policemen. There are some trees nearby, though, so you probably could Apparate in, but you'd look rather out of place in wizard's robes."

"Understood. I'll be right there." Olivia was just lowering the golden ball from her face when she heard a faint crack. Looking up, she saw Professor Dumbledore striding towards her through the trees, dressed for once in a plain, Muggle suit. Strangely, he looked much odder in something so mundane and colorless than he did in his sweeping wizard's robes. His auburn beard waved most amusingly.

"Oh, sir, I'm so sorry to disturb you, but I didn't know who else to call!"

He came striding forward, looking both confident and cautious. "You did the right thing, Miss Price, so don't worry about it. You are always free to call on me." They began to walk back towards the house, Olivia struggling through the underbrush in her rich satin dress. She didn't even notice the blood that stained its front. "Are you sure you're all right?" he asked, seeing the blood.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine, but two of the wedding guests were injured. It wasn't that bad; I could have fixed them up immediately with my wand, but I knew I couldn't."

"Is that where the blood came from, then? You were helping the victims?" His blue eyes looked deep into her emerald ones.

"Yes, sir. My cousin Prudence had a cut on the head, and her husband had a broken arm. They were sitting at the table nearest the explosion."

Thankfully, the constables were still busy asking questions, so Professor Dumbledore discreetly drew his wand and gave small waves with it, muttering to himself in words that Olivia couldn't understand. After a moment, the teacher opened his eyes and said softly, "You were right, Olivia. Magic is heavy on that detonator-I'd guess that the attacker used his wand to set it off. There's nothing else I can discover, though. Oh Merlin, here comes trouble," he said under his breath, as the constables walked forward looking serious.

"Back away, you two, we need to package this up and take it to the station as evidence. Perhaps there will be fingerprints on this, and that way we can discover the attacker. You haven't touched it, I hope?"

To Olivia's complete surprise, Professor Dumbledore smiled broadly and said, "Oh, is taking it away really necessary, Constable? Surely you've seen everything you need to." His pupil was just looking up at her teacher in confusion when she saw him give the slightest flick of his wand. A sleepy sort of breeze went winging past her, reeking of magic.

The police officers' eyes slid in and out of focus for just a moment, before one turned to the others and said jovially, "Well, I think we've seen all we need to, haven't we, lads? No use in littering up headquarters with this wreck."

"Right you are, John." The other constables smiled happily at one another before John bowed to Professor Dumbledore and Olivia and said, "Thank you, sir and miss. We'll be getting out of your way now. Have a good afternoon and congratulations on your wedding!" Turning as one, the group of officers left quietly, although Olivia heard them break out in song when they reached the end of the driveway.

Casting suspicious eyes up at Dumbledore, Olivia asked, "Did you just do what I think you just did?"

Humming a little to himself as he put his wand back into his suit pocket, Dumbledore raised innocent eyebrows at her. "Perform a Memory Charm? Of course! The Ministry will need this as evidence-we may be able to discover who did it. The poor fellows will likely be a little confused the rest of the day, though."

Peter and Rebecca came running up to Olivia and Dumbledore. "Darling!" cried Rebecca, throwing her arms around her new niece.

Mr. Williams stepped forward and shook hands with Dumbledore. "Hello, Professor. How do you always manage to be around when we need you?"

Smiling broadly, the teacher pointed at Olivia. "Miss Price has an artifact that I gave her after the incident last Christmas. It is an Assistball, and with it she can call for anyone that she needs to whenever she requires help. The device uses any reflective surface to project her image on it and thus deliver her message. I was sitting in my office when a silver plate in front of me suddenly began to speak. I picked it up, and there I beheld Olivia's face. Naturally I was concerned, thinking that she had been kidnapped or that your home was under attack. However, she soon informed me of the situation and I came right away."

Rebecca looked puzzled. "But _why_ are you here, sir? This is a bomb; it shouldn't have anything to do with magic…should it?"

"My dear lady, when Olivia was examining the device, she discovered that its detonator felt of magic. That was when she called for my aid. I can confirm her findings; we believe that a wizard planted this bomb and set it off with his wand, though for what ends I do not know. "

The new bride looked suspiciously around her. "Is whoever it was gone now?"

"I have already searched the area, looking for any other traces of magic. The perpetrator is gone, and everything is quiet. Whatever it was that happened here, I believe to be over. Everything should be safe now."

Rebecca nervously wrung her hands. "How can we leave for our honeymoon now, Peter? We certainly cannot leave Olivia here alone!"

Olivia wasn't going to take this. "Oh, honestly, Aunt Rebecca! I may be young, but I'm not useless. I don't want your wedding trip to be ruined, especially now that your reception has been. Besides, I'll be staying with the Potters-I'll be perfectly safe."

"Let the adults discuss it, dear. Now you'd better run along and rinse out that dress before the blood sets in it."

She couldn't be sure, but Olivia thought she saw a dark look pass swiftly over Professor Dumbledore's face. In a slightly cold voice he said, "Allow me to take care of that." Without waiting for permission, he pointed his wand at Olivia's dress, which was instantly cleaned of the blood and dirt that had marred its satiny sheen.

Suddenly understanding a bit of her teacher's annoyance, Olivia answered her aunt. "I'm sorry, Aunt Rebecca, but I don't want the adults discussing things that involve me without having a word to say about it." Uncle Peter looked shocked at this-it was totally out of Olivia's character to show defiance. "Professor Dumbledore thinks it's safe for you two to leave me here, and I trust his judgment. Please, I feel guilty enough as it is. I'm sure that this bomb has something to do with me, and it would never have happened if I hadn't been here. Don't place the burden of ruining your honeymoon on me as well."

"That was never my thought, Olivia, and we don't blame you at all. It's just that…"

"You love me, and you want me to be safe. I understand that. But I'm never going to learn how to take care of myself if you keep trying to shelter me. I handled things well today, didn't I?"

Peter decided it was time to enter the argument. "Yes, you did, Olivia. Professor," he said, turning to Dumbledore, "I have to say that I'm very pleased with her training. She went straight to the victims and gave them first rate medical care. The attendants in the ambulance said that she had already done half their work for them. You should be proud." Turning back to Rebecca, he said, "Becky, I know that you're just worried. But Olivia's right. We can trust her to take care of herself, and I know that the Potters will keep an eye on her. Why don't you go into the house and get ready to go? I'll see Dumbledore off."

Looking resigned, Rebecca nodded and walked towards the house. Olivia looked anxiously up at her guardian. "I wasn't too disrespectful, was I, Uncle?"

He looked solemnly down at her. "Perhaps, Olivia, but I think that it was the right thing to do. You're right-you're almost thirteen years old and its time that we stopped coddling you too much. Perhaps it was wise for you to nip that in the bud with Rebecca. However, that is all the disrespect I will allow. Do you understand?" Olivia nodded, and they embraced. "Now, then, why don't you go into the house and make sure you're packed for your visit with the Potters?" Without a word of dissent, she did just that.

"I'm sorry that you had to be involved in a family scene, Professor. But as awkward as I'm sure that was for you, it was necessary."

To Peter's surprise, he saw that Dumbledore had a far-off look on his face, as if he was thinking about something very deeply. He vaguely said, "She's growing up, isn't she, Williams? Don't you remember how it was? That scared little girl sitting on the coach in your living room, unable to speak and unable to show her feelings on anything?"

Mr. Williams nodded. "Yes, I remember it very well. I never would have expected it of her to speak out so firmly. She has so much confidence now, but it isn't pride. If she continues at your school as she has begun, I have no fears for her." He sighed. "She really did handle herself quite well today. She acted like a woman, not a little girl."

Dumbledore nodded. "And this is only the beginning. Who knows where the next year will take her?" He shook Mr. Williams hand, before saying, "Some Ministry officials will be coming after nightfall to collect all of this as evidence, and I'm fairly certain that they will be assigning some extra protection to Olivia for the duration of the summer. Do not fear for her safety-she will be cared for." Peter nodded, and then Dumbledore stepped away, and Disapparated with a loud cracking noise.


	3. All Wrong

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rowling's characters, settings, spells, so on and so forth. Anybody that you don't know from the books is mine.

Note: This chapter seems like slow going, but I had a little too much fun in getting rid of a character. She was annoying me. Anyway, hang in there for the next chapter…this is going to be an interesting year!

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Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood beside Olivia while she waved good-bye to her guardian and his new wife. Even though they were still nervous about leaving her behind, they knew that there was nothing further that they could do. So they gave their ward a loving kiss and hug, and left for their honeymoon in Spain.

"Merlin's beard, I'm glad they're gone!" exclaimed Olivia after she had sighed in relief. "You'd think I was an infant."

Elise Potter slipped an arm around Olivia's waists. "Try to ignore it, lovey. They're just worried about you. However, I promised Professor Dumbledore that I'd look after you, so let's head on home. Harris has already sent your luggage and Winnie to our guest room, so that's all taken care of." Together they walked down the lane, Olivia feeling much more comfortable in a casual dress made of cotton. As lovely as her green satin dress had been, it had also been hot and uncomfortable.

Olivia smiled with quiet happiness when she and the older witch reached the stone walkway that led up to the Potter's home. Darkness had fallen, so the light was streaming warm from the windows and Olivia could hear their gramophone playing. The door was flung open, and Robert was framed in the bright doorway.

"Come in, come in!" he cried. "I want to hear about everything."

The two women stepped inside, and Robert dropped an obligatory kiss on his mother's cheek. Turning back to Olivia, he said, "So I hear you had an exciting day. What happened?"

While Olivia explained, Mrs. Potter went into the kitchen, where soon the smell of tea and baking cake came wafting through the air. Robert and Olivia both sniffed hopefully for a minute.

"Ah!" Robert said, rubbing his hands excitedly. "Methinks that I smell Mum's chocolate cake…shall we have a look, little sister?"

"We shall!" Olivia replied, and threaded her arm through Robert's. As they entered the kitchen, the beheld Elise pointing her wand at the cake, which instantaneously bore thick fudge icing. She looked up as her wand produced enormous strawberries from its tip and placed them on top of the culinary masterpiece.

"The bloody oven took _forever_ making this cake, dears. Sorry to make you wait. It usually bakes my cakes in three minutes, but it took five today! I can't imagine what might be wrong with it…"

Olivia shook her head, only dreaming of what Mrs. Fidgetworth would stay if she would be able to make a cake in five minutes, let alone three. She and Robert sat down at the table and had soon devoured a full third of the layered cake.

As Mrs. Potter was placing another thick slice on Robert's plate, she struck up a conversation with Olivia. "Just so you know, dear, Darcy is coming on Wednesday to spend the day with us, and we're going to have a large family dinner that night. Other than that, you and Rob are free to do whatever you please. In fact, I think it would be better if I didn't know what you were up to, now that it comes to that. We only have two rules in this house: be on time for meals, and whatever mischief you get up, don't get caught. Understood?"

Barely restraining a laugh, the young witch nodded. "Thank you for having me, Aunt Elise. I don't think Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca would have left otherwise."

"Nonsense, dear, don't go starting that thanking bit! We're glad to have you. Now if you'll excuse me, it's high time for me to get to my chores."

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The rest of the week passed much the same. Robert seemed to take fiendish pleasure in working Olivia for several hours a day in a Quidditch training program that would have been beneficial to the British national team, let alone a Hogwarts House team that was small potatoes in comparison. Still, they both enjoyed themselves-they would completely exhaust each other in the morning, then try and eat the piles of food that Mrs. Potter kept shoving at them, and then spend their afternoons with books. As much Robert pretended to groan about it, Olivia knew that he enjoyed reading almost as much as she did, especially when the book was on either Quidditch or jinxes. He tried to persuade her to practice magic a few times, citing the fact that no one would ever know that she had performed magic outside of school, but this rule Olivia steadfastly refused to break.

In the evenings they would eat another magnificent meal and then sit in the living room together. Mr. Potter would play the radio, usually on the wizarding classical magic station. Olivia always enjoyed this because she knew many of the pieces that the radio would play, and very often her fingers would play along with the orchestras, only she used her lap instead of piano keys. Robert found this funny and started affectionately calling Olivia "twitchy fingers" or other names of the same variety, but she just ignored him. Soon, however, the nickname was reduced to merely "twitch," so Olivia found herself answering to that as much as she did "Livie."

On Tuesday night, Mrs. Potter reminded everyone that Darcy would be arriving the next day, which Olivia knew Robert hardly needed to be reminded of. He had been in a state of nervous excitement all day, and she knew that he was eager to see his girlfriend again.

Sure enough, bright and early the next morning Olivia heard Robert Apparate with a loud crack downstairs at the exact moment the doorbell rang. He yanked open the door and joyfully welcomed Darcy. The younger witch just smiled and finished dressing, wanting to give them as much alone time together that they wanted. Soon, however, she could hear Robert bellowing for her to come downstairs. "Twitch! Hey, twitchy, get down here, someone will want to see you!"

Shaking her head, Olivia left her comfortable bedroom and went downstairs to join her friend. Before she came into their line of sight, though, she could hear Darcy's puzzled voice asking, "Who's Twitch, Rob? Did you get a dog or something?"

"No, merely a temporarily homeless witch." Darcy gasped at the sound of Olivia's voice and turned to see the red haired girl standing just behind her. "Hello, Darcy! It's so good to see you again!"

"Olivia!" Darcy gasped, with a strange expression on her face. "I…I didn't know that you would be here!"

Seeing Olivia casting a confused look in Robert's direction, he said heartily, "Oh, I thought I would surprise you, Darcy! Olivia's guardian was married last week, and he went on his honeymoon with his new wife. Olivia didn't have a place to stay, so Mum invited her to come here while they were gone."

"Then why did you call her 'Twitch,' Robert?" Darcy still looked thoroughly mystified.

Olivia laughed lightly. "It's actually short for 'twitchy fingers' because of my rather strange habit of playing along with the radio. Now, why don't you two have a nice long chat while I go help Mrs. Potter with the lunch?" She wheeled around and left the two older teenagers together, having a shrewd suspicion that Darcy wanted to talk to Robert alone.

She wasn't wrong. When Robert attempted to pull Darcy into his arms, she pushed him away. "Why did you hide her from me, Rob? Why didn't you tell me that she was here?"

Robert groaned a little bit. "I thought it would be a nice surprise, Darce. We all got along so beautifully at school last term that I thought you would be pleased to see her again."

She sniffed in contempt. "I got along with her because I was still feeling so guilty because of what happened to her! Still, I thought that once we graduated we could wean her off of you."

"Do we really have to have this same conversation again, Darcy?" Fire leapt up in Robert's eyes at her reply. "If you were only getting along with Olivia because of a guilty feeling, then we're going to have problems. Look, Olivia forgives you for what you did at school. She knows that you weren't responsible for what you did! You were Imperiused, you couldn't help it! So don't try and tell me that you felt guilty when she never even once tried to blame you when she knew the whole truth of the matter."

Darcy turned her back on Robert, crossing her arms across her chest. Robert stepped up behind her and said softly, "Besides, I could never just 'wean' Olivia off of me, Darcy. She's like a member of my family. You can't expect me just to drop her. Is that what you thought I would do once school was done?"

Furiously, Darcy turned around again. "Yes, Robert! I thought that once we graduated, you and I would become closer, with no little second year to be tagging along after us! I thought that once we both completed our training, we would maybe even…well, anyway. Can't you understand what a shock it was to me to come here, expecting to spend the entire day with you when I haven't seen you since graduation, and to find Olivia here like a member of the family?"

"She lives across the road, Darcy! She's been here lots. I don't know why it's such a shocker for you."

"It's such a shocker because you never told me? What did you think that you had to hide? Never mind! Don't answer that," Darcy spit out. "I don't want to fight with you, Robert. Let's just have a nice day together, and we can talk about this later, all right?"

"Fine!" said Robert shortly, heading towards the kitchen. He was furious. _Girls! _He thought fiercely. _Why do they always have to take everything you say as either a prophecy or a threat? I don't see what the big deal is…_

The rest of the day was strained and tense, even though Olivia tried to stay out of Robert and Darcy's way. She ended up spending much of the day with Mrs. Potter, working in the kitchen and doing household chores. While the dinner that night was delicious, the conversation was short and strained as everyone tried to be overly polite with each other. Things came to a head when Robert walked Darcy outside before she Apparated home again.

Taking a deep breath, Robert said firmly, "Darcy…I'm sorry that we fought earlier. But I need to know something: if you and I did somehow end up together someday, how would you feel if Olivia was a part of our lives?"

At the beginning of the sentence, Darcy had slipped a hand in Robert's, but when he mentioned Olivia, she visibly stiffened. "I honestly don't know how I would feel, Robert, but I know that I wouldn't be a huge fan of it. She's a sweet kid and everything but…I feel threatened by her. I know that you supposedly don't feel that way towards her, but it's just a feeling that I can't shake."

Robert dropped Darcy's hand and his voice was thick when he answered. 'Darcy, I hate like crazy to say this, but I have to. If you can't accept Olivia as someone that I care very deeply about in a very brotherly way, then I don't think we should be together anymore."

"What?" Darcy said loudly, her eyes opening wide. "No, Robert! I don't want to break up. Not after so many years of being together. Can't you just understand that there are some people that I can't get along with?"

"I can accept that, yes. There are plenty of people that I just can't get along with, either. But I refuse to spend the rest of my life reassuring you about Olivia, because I'm not going to stop being friends with her."

Darcy seemed to wilt before his eyes. She turned and looked away from Robert, the light from the windows giving her face an unearthly glow. "Then, Robert….I guess that this is good-bye. I won't play second fiddle to a little girl."

Robert softly kissed Darcy's hand, and without another word, went back into the house. With tears falling down Darcy's face, she took a deep, shuddering breath and Disapparated.

"Rob? Is Darcy gone?" Mrs. Potter asked from the kitchen, sounding concerned.

"Yes, Mum. She's gone," Robert replied, and walked heavily up the stairs. He paused outside of Olivia's bedroom, and then knocked softly on her door. Hearing her quiet permission to come in, he opened the door.

Olivia was sitting at the desk in the guest room, writing a letter to her guardian that his owl, Peachy, would deliver. She looked up at Robert, and knew immediately what had happened. "Oh, Robert," she said, tears welling up in her eyes. "Did you break up, then?"

Looking more like a five year old boy denied a cookie than a seventeen year old man, he nodded forlornly. Olivia stood and went to hug him. "Are you okay?"

He flopped down onto an armchair and said, "Yes and no. I guess I knew deep down that this would have to happen, but I didn't expect it so soon. Darcy and I were never right for each other, and it would have been wrong to lead her on. Still…the look on her face just haunts me…."

There was nothing she could say. Olivia just stood up and put a comforting hand on Robert's arm as they sat in companionable silence.

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Robert didn't dwell on his loss for long. In fact, he even seemed a little glad to be rid of Darcy. He and Olivia soon returned to their comfortable routines and the rest of her visit flew by.

Nobody had any news as to why a bomb had exploded at the wedding reception, but Olivia still found herself puzzling it all out. What had happened, and why? She came no closer to an answer, no mater how hard she thought about it. She began to look forward to the start of school; she missed her friends, she missed the Ravenclaw common room that was always so cheerful, she missed her classes, and she missed the teachers, especially Madame Galen.

Every day Olivia would receive a cheerful note from her missing guardian; he and Aunt Rebecca seemed to be having a marvelous time in Spain. But a small part of Olivia's heart dreaded their return. She loved her new aunt, but they had quarreled before they left. Besides, she loved living in a wizarding house, and it would be frightfully dull to return to a home where broomsticks were only tolerated, not accepted as a fact of life. A home where dinner wasn't conjured up in the blink of an eye, and where people would suddenly appear out of thin air.

Therefore, she was quite excited to receive a letter one day from a large, brown barn owl. She was sitting at the breakfast table with Robert and Mrs. Potter, Mr. Potter having already left for work, when the owl flew in through the open window and dropped a letter in her lap.

"Oh, good!" she exclaimed, ripping open the letter. "It's from Hogwarts!"

Robert looked interested. "Anything new this year? Some of the biggest surprises of the year can be hidden in those things."

Instead of answering, Olivia just handed him in the missive. It read:

Dear Miss Price,

Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross Station, platform Nine and Three-Quarters promptly at eleven o'clock. You are strongly urged to be on time.

In addition to this, it is my duty to inform you that third year students are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on previously scheduled weekends. You are requested to give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian.

Also enclosed is your book and supply list for this forthcoming educational year.

Sincerely,

Albus Dumbledore

Deputy Headmaster

"Jolly good, Olivia! You'll get to visit Hogsmeade this year, I forgot. You'll enjoy it, I'm sure." As Robert handed Olivia back the letter, several pieces of paper fell away from it. "Oops, sorry, Olivia! Let me get that," Robert said, sounding apologetic.

She had already fallen to her knees, though, and was collecting the papers. "Don't bother, Robert, I've got it! Hey, what's this?" Olivia separated the different parchments. One was the permission form and one was the booklist, but there was an extra piece. "It's a newspaper article!" she said, sounding serious. Robert looked over Olivia's shoulder to see what the headline read.

"Grindelwauld reportedly seen in London: Minister Informed."

Robert and Olivia looked at each other in amazement, both of their mouths open. Then Robert swallowed hard and said, "Well…this is going to make for an interesting year for you, won't it?"


	4. Journey to Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rowling's characters, settings, ect.

Note: Kenneth MacAndrews is fashioned after a very old and very dear friend of mine, my pseudo brother. I hope you enjoy him!

Oh, and thanks go out to KattyKoo, for her great reviews! Wow, that rhymed…

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After Olivia and Robert had read the article all the way a few times, they realized that the news it contained wasn't exactly dire. All that had happened was a woman glimpsing who she _thought_ was Grindelwauld. Nobody else had seen him, so her story couldn't be confirmed.

"Blimey!" said Robert, looking slightly annoyed that a murderer didn't really seem to be close by after all. "Why do you think Dumbledore bothered sending you that rubbish? The whole thing doesn't seem terribly significant to me."

Olivia looked troubled. "I don't know, Robert. I know that the woman's story is wooly at best, but I think Dumbledore just wants me to be on my guard. He's never steered me wrong before, so I'll trust him on this, too. I'm just going to have to be careful, that's all."

"Er, right." Robert replied, already bored with the whole thing. "C'mon, let's go play Quidditch. We mustn't let up on your training regimen-the trials are only in a few weeks!"

Pretending to groan in annoyance, Olivia put her porridge bowl in the sink, where a sponge immediately cleaned it. Robert did the same, and then they walked outside, breathing the summer air gratefully. "You know, Twitch," said Robert thoughtfully, "I think I might envy you a little bit."

Olivia thought that Robert might possibly have gone a little mad. "What, been hit with a Bludger too many times? Where do you get off being envious of _me_?"

Robert shot a withering look at his friend. "I'm going to miss being able to go to Hogwarts, you little goose." He sighed, and suddenly the moment became very serious. "It's going to be terribly different. I'm not leaving the magic world or anything, training for an Auror. Still, at Hogwarts the most you got for messing something up was losing points and a detention. If I mess up being an Auror, I could lose my job. Hell, I could even make someone lose their life. That's a heavy burden to carry, Livie."

She didn't know what to say. "Robert…I guess that's the whole point of being an adult, isn't it? Someday I'll leave school, and it's not like I'll be able to play jokes on Malfoy or anything idiotic like that. But that's what's Hogwarts been getting you ready for, isn't it? I mean, all those years at Quidditch captain taught you responsibility. After the N.E.W.T.'s, you know how to study. You have all the tools to be an Auror, Robert, and Hogwarts gave them to you. You'll make us proud, I know it."

"My little encourager, that's what you are, Twitch. What would I do without you?" asked Robert, punching her lightly on the arm.

She punched him back, hard. He groaned and pretended to grab his arm in pain. "Well, I'm sure I don't know." Olivia jumped away from Robert and leapt onto her broom, hovering just over his head. "Come on, I want to see you try and pull the Wronski Feint on me. Bet you won't be able to get past me!"

Accepting the challenge, Robert jumped onto his own broom. Soon, they were zipping around in the air, Olivia furiously batting at the heavy Bludger with her bat, and Robert always trying to get past her.

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The next morning at breakfast, Mrs. Potter addressed Olivia. "Livie, I thought you and I could go to Diagon Alley today and pick up your school things. Your aunt and uncle will be back tomorrow, and it would be nice if all of that were taken care of. Then you wouldn't have to worry about it."

"Thanks, Aunt Elise! That would be marvelous," Olivia said, shoveling her porridge into her mouth so that she could go get ready for the expedition.

"Hey!" said Robert indignantly. "Don't I get to come as well?"

"Why, Robert, I'm surprised! I didn't know you would be interested in robes and school books. I guess you never truly know a person…"

"Oh, get along with you, Twitch," said Robert, pulling a superior look onto his face. "I was actually thinking that I might get lost in Quidditch World while you girls bought all the boring stuff. Then we could all go visit the joke and pet stores together."

"That's a fine idea, Rob! Well, then, you two had better go get ready. We'll meet in the den in ten minutes, all right?" Mrs. Potter bustled off, the dishes being cleaned in one swift flick of her wand and the broom beginning to sweep the kitchen with another flick.

Hurrying to do Mrs. Potter's bidding, Olivia and Robert thundered up the stairs. Pulling off her worn skirt and jersey that she had intended to play Quidditch in, Olivia ran over to her trunk. She reached into its depths, and pulled out an attractive black skirt and a deep plum blouse, which made her emerald eyes sparkle and snap. A black belt encircled her trim waist. She smiled, knowing that while she would always be small for her age, she could still look grown-up. Because she was nearly thirteen, she carefully pinned her riotous red curls onto the top of her head in a flattering style, and finished off with plain black shoes. She grabbed her Hogwart's black cloak with its Ravenclaw patch and patted Winnie's head before she thundered down the stairs. She could hear the cat's pleased purring all the way down.

Robert was already waiting, dressed in a plain brown suit and a blue cloak. "You look nice, Liv," said Robert, more because it was the polite thing to do than because he actually believed it.

Before she could answer, Mrs. Potter came bustling up behind them, dressed in a lavender sweater set and brown skirt. "Well, ready, are we? I don't want to Floo to Diagon; if there's anything I hate, it's walking around in shops with ash on my shoulders. Rob and I can both Apparate, so that's not a problem. Here, Olivia, you can Side-Along Apparate with me. We'll be there in a jiffy." Olivia stepped to the older witch's side, and firmly grasped her arm. "Ready, then? Remember, Rob-destination, determination, deliberation!"

"Yeah, yeah, I _know_, Mum! Come on, let's go!" Robert said, his voice colored with annoyance.

"Sorry, Rob. Okay then, one, two, and three!" Mrs. Potter turned, and Olivia held onto the witch's arm with everything she had. The mind-numbing pressure hit, making her feel like she was suddenly being squashed like a lemon. A moment later with a loud _crack!_ they had landed. Olivia shook her head like a dog, causing a few of her traitorous curls to come loose from their hair pins. They were standing in the Leaky Cauldron. Nobody had even jumped at their sudden appearance, although a few hellos came their way once the occupants of the pub realized who was there. "Hello, Robert! Back, are you?" "Why, Elise! I haven't seen you in such a time! How are you doing, lovey?"

Even Olivia heard her name, and turned to see who was calling it. To her great delight, she saw there Madame Galen. The old nurse's voice was as hoarse as ever, her graying hair still wrapped around her head in magnificent braids. She was wearing rose of cerulean blue, and her eyes sparkled and snapped. Upon reaching her student, the old nurse pulled Olivia in for a warm hug.

"My, dearie, but I am glad to see you! Had a good summer, then?"

Olivia pulled back from the embrace. "Hello, Madame Galen! It's so lovely to see you! My summer was all right-my uncle Peter married Miss Rebecca, and they had a beautiful wedding."

Madame Galen's eyes darkened for a moment. "Yes, I heard all about that wedding. Has anything else happened since then, dear?"

Shaking her head, Olivia replied, "No, ma'am. Everything's been calm and quiet. I've been staying with the Potters, and Robert and I have been having a marvelous time."

"Good! Robert needs a live-in nurse, if he continues to injure himself every other week. Good to see you, lad," she said, as she lightly whacked Robert upside his head.

"Easy, there, Madame Galen! I'll have you know that I haven't broken anything or had to be healed for six months." The boy turned reproachful eyes upon the nurse.

"Don't get upset, boy, I know you haven't. I'm glad that you've been taking care of Livie. So, dear," she said, turning back to Olivia. "Shopping for school, are you? Yes? Ah, I remember your first school shopping trip. You've changed a fair bit since then. Actually, you've changed a fair bit since school ended. Putting up your hair now, are you?"

Olivia grinned. "Just for special occasions. It's too much trouble to do every day, as curly as it is. Don't worry, I'm not grown-up yet."

"Good! Well, I should be off now, dear. I just came to Diagon Alley to pick up some herbs for Professor Delphinium. She's having a fit over the Flutterby Bushes, claims they need some honeysuckle for inspiration."

Remembering the eccentric Herbology teacher, Olivia asked with some trepidation, "So Professor Delphinium is staying for another year, Madame Galen? I thought that she was only coming for a year while Professor Ensley studied in the Amazon."

Madame Galen leaned down and whispered into Olivia's ear, "Well, love, I'm not really supposed to say anything, but I know that you don't go flapping your gums all over the country. Professor Ensley was studying plants one day, when one of her subjects grabbed her from behind and squeezed her hard. Gave her quite a fright, it took her a few minutes to curse it enough to make it let her go. Oh, she's all right, but it seems that she's lost some of her zeal for Herbology. She won't be returning to the school. Professor Delphinium seems to consider this some kind of betrayal to all plants and plant lovers, so she's decided that it's her purpose in life to better educate students on the beauties and wonders of…plants. Though heaven knows who she'd inspire anyone, I think she's cracked, but there you are…"

Olivia didn't know whether to laugh at Madame Galen's joke or groan at the thought of having to endure Professor Delphinium indefinitely. "Oh, well. I guess even Hogwarts isn't perfect. I'll be seeing you soon, then, Madame Galen!" The nurse waved cheerfully and left, whistling as she walked.

"Well then!" said Mrs. Potter briskly, as she finished a conversation with another witch. "Are we ready to go shopping, then?" Robert and Olivia both nodded, and then followed her as she lead the way out of the Leaky Cauldron in the alley behind it.

Magic never ceased to amaze Olivia, and even after watching the entrance to Diagon Alley open before, it still got to her. After being touched by Mrs. Potter's wand, the bricks folded in on themselves and vanished, leaving a wide arching entrance. Mrs. Potter plunged into the crowd without hesitation, and Olivia and Robert followed.

"Quack, quack!" said Robert sarcastically. When Olivia looked up at him in confusion, he whispered, "I feel like we're ducklings, Twitch, following after mum like this!" Understanding the joke, Olivia grinned in appreciation of her friend's wit.

Leaving Robert happily ensconced in the Quidditch store, Mrs. Potter and Olivia proceeded to take Diagon Alley by storm. The first stop was, as always, Gringotts Bank, where Olivia exchanged her Muggle notes for wizard Galleons. Once this chore was completed, they headed to The Wizard's Closet. "Lovey, I think you're going to be needing new robes. Even that cloak is several inches too short!"

Olivia nodded, her cheeks coloring a little. "I just had the hem let out last year, Aunt Elise, so I could save that money. That's not an option this year, I'm afraid!" Thankfully, it was wizarding shop, and soon Olivia's purchases of a whole new school wardrobe were completed quite painlessly.

"Phew!" said Mrs. Potter after they had told the clerk to send Olivia's robes back to the Potter's house. "That's the worst job, anyway. Why don't we go get your books, and then we'll pick up Robert for lunch? After that, we can get your parchment, inks, cat food, and potions supplies."

Olivia agreed, and this was soon done. They ended up eating lunch back in the Leaky Cauldron, Tom serving them steak and back potatoes, with ice cream for dessert. Robert put up a heavy fuss about having to go back into the potions supplies shop. "Good grief, Mum! Do you know how many years I've waited to get of that drafty old dungeon that they call the Potions classroom? I certainly don't want any reminders of it."

An evil gleam came to Olivia's eye. "Well, if going in there bothers your feelings, Robert, then you should probably wait outside. You're such a sensitive boy, right, Mrs. Potter?"

Elise Potter caught the gist of the conversation. "Oh, he was sensitive, without a doubt, Olivia! He used to cry so hard when he was a little boy, when his cute little bum got wet…"

"All right, all right, shut it, both of you! Good grief, no wonder witches have such a bad reputation!" Robert stomped into the nasty smelling shop, grumbling and muttering things under his breath that Olivia was sure that she didn't want to hear. Mrs. Potter threw Olivia a furtive wink, and then sailed into the shop with her head held high.

Olivia wasn't repulsed by the shop as she had been as an eleven year old. She fearlessly put her hand in barrels and drew out dead spiders and beetle eyes, and even dared to shovel crocodile hearts into her potions kit. Even Robert looked mildly impressed. "Blimey, I never would have thought you'd do that without gloves!"

Arching an eyebrow at her friend, Olivia sighed heavily. "Were you always too squeamish to do it yourself, Rob? That dear sensitive spirit, coming out again…"

He snorted and walked away, ignoring her delighted laughter. Score! It wasn't often that she could find something that would nettle Robert. This should be good for a while.

That night, weighed down with package after package, they wobbled their way back to the Leaky Cauldron. "Oomph!" said Olivia, as her packages tumbled to the wood floor. Robert grunted while he set his down. Mrs. Potter pulled out her wand.

"I certainly don't want to Apparate with these on our backs." With a wave of the wand, the packages disappeared. "There we are! Already back home. Now, then, we should join them! Olivia, dear…" The younger witch stepped to Mrs. Potter's side. "All right, one, two, th-"

"Miss Price! My lady!" A voice broke through Mrs. Potter's words.

"Rats," exclaimed Mrs. Potter. "We almost got away that time…" They turned to see who had been calling Olivia's name, and found that a young boy was running towards them.

"Miss Olivia Price?" he asked as he drew near. When Olivia nodded, he actually bowed low. "Good evening, fair lady! Allow me to introduce myself: I am Kenneth Brendan MacAndrews. I have been sent upon a quest to find you, and present you with this missive."

The looks upon Mrs. Potter and Robert's faces were of pure befuddlement. Who did this kid think he was? Olivia, however, was just tired enough to play along with him.

"Why thank you, kind sir! You have acted most nobly on your crusade. I wish you well in this, and in all thine quests." She curtsied to Kenneth, who looked thrilled.

Then, heaven helped him, the kid kneeled. "If I might be so bold as to ask a boon, my lady?"

Ignoring Mrs. Potter's annoyed muttering behind her back wasn't easy; Olivia tried to put a serious look on her face and answered, "What is thy bidding, young squire?"

Kenneth looked up at Olivia with a longing and devoted look upon his face. "I am to begin my training at Hogwarts this year, my lady. I would ask that you would allow me to name you as my lady, and to let me by your squire. I will do whatever you ask of me."

This was getting slightly out of hand; the game was getting old, now. Gently raising the boy from his knees, she replied kindly, "When the years are full upon thy brow, squire, we shall see. As of now, it is your task to perform admirably at your education, and to act honorably towards your fellow students. You must follow the guidelines of chivalry. Will you take up this act of bravery and make it thine own?"

Kenneth's eyes were shining brightly. "I do take up this act, my lady. May God and my sword preserve you and your interests!" With another bow, the boy ran off.

"Blimey!" exclaimed Robert incredulously. "What was that all about?"

Olivia shook her head at him. "It was about a boy with some imagination, oh Sensitive One, which you know nothing about!" She examined the note. "It's from Professor Dumbledore. I'll open it when we get back to the house, it doesn't seem to be urgent. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Mrs. Potter shook her head in a futile attempt to wipe away the blank look that was there. "Oh, it was no problem, lovey. Come on; let's go before someone else waylays us!" With a flash of light, the group disappeared.


	5. Many Returnings

Disclaimer: I do not own any of Rowling's characters, settings, ect.

Note: Sorry that I've been so long updating. The end of exams is in sight-pray for me! Soon, I'll be updating every couple of days instead of once a week. Oh, and some of my own rather pathetic feelings got into Olivia's dread of returning home…something of how I've been feeling every morning about having to go to school. Yikes! Oh, and if anyone has some ideas for pranks, send them in when you press that marvelous review button. Legalien has already given me a couple good ones, but I need some more-I'm having a little too much fun with the Olivia vs. Malfoy war.

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The next day Olivia woke with a feeling of dread in her stomach. Today Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca would return, and she would leave the Potter's wonderful home. As much as she loved her guardian and his bride, living in the Muggle world never felt right to her now. She comforted herself with the fact that her return to school was only a week away.

Still, even this wonderful fact didn't serve to cheer her up much. Olivia lifted up the crisp white eiderdown and buried her head under her pillow, quite effectively hiding herself from the world. For a childish moment, she thought that if she just stayed hidden under the covers, surely no one could find her and make her live through this day.

Of course, this wish was completely foolish...and impossible. After only an hour, Olivia heard someone knocking on her door. She just shoved her head even harder with the depths of the bed and didn't answer.

The door creaked open, and she could hear footsteps tiptoeing across the old, wooden floor. Suddenly, there came a flash of light and Olivia was hoisted up into the air by her ankle.

"What in the bloody…Robert, put me down this instant! I mean it!"

Robert, grinning maniacally, had his wand out and with it had completely lifted Olivia from her bed and into the air. "You know," he said conversationally, "I think I might like to have a picture of this moment. Would you mind hanging around for a moment, Twitch, while I go and get the camera?"

"Of course I mind, you idiot! Let me down now or I'll curse you into purple jelly, and you know I can do it, too!"

Sighing heavily, Robert said, "Oh, very well, then." With another flash, Olivia bounced back down onto the bed again, and with one swift moment she had her wand in her hand, pointing at Robert.

"Going to curse me, Twitchy? Ah, but who's the sensitive one, now?"

"Stop the innocent act, Robert! Now get out of here!" Olivia raised her wand to hex her friend, but before she could, he had Apparated from the room.

Scowling viciously, Olivia decided that it was no good now pretending that the day could pass her by. Dressing quickly and making her bed, she stomped down the stairs and sat down to her morning porridge.

"Someone's in a mood!" squawked the kitchen clock. Olivia just ignored this, as Mrs. Potter came into the room.

"Good morning, dear! Are you all packed?" Morosely, Olivia nodded, having packed her trunk the night before. Mrs. Potter sent her young houseguest a troubled look as she sat down. With a wave of a wand, two cups of tea appeared in front of the witches; Olivia's smelled of the milk and sugar that she loved in the beverage.

"You know, love," said Mrs. Potter conversationally as she lifted her cup for a sip, "This doesn't mean that you have to leave us. It's only one more week until school begins, and then you'll be home for Christmas. Besides, you can run over whenever you like during the week."

"I know that, Aunt Elise. I shouldn't let it bother me like it is. It's just that…I just love it here!"

"You love it because it's so different. And you're probably a little worried about how well you're going to be getting on with your aunt."

Startled, Olivia considered this. Yes, Mrs. Potter was right. She worried that Aunt Rebecca wouldn't like Olivia, and would feel like Olivia was worming in on her honeymoon time. "I hadn't realized it, but that's true. I just don't know how I'm going to fit in anymore. Besides, I truly don't want to ruin Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca's fun. They're newly-weds, and I'm just a gawky, almost teenager."

Aunt Elise leaned over and gave her houseguest a quick squeeze of a hug. "Well, whenever you get to feeling awkward, lovey, you just run on over here. Merlin knows, we wish you could spend your entire vacation with us! But never mind that now. Eat your breakfast, and then Robert will walk you back to your house. Your uncle and aunt should be arriving back home shortly."

Doing as she was told, Olivia felt some of her usual good spirits returning as she finished her breakfast and going upstairs. Instead of taking the main staircase that led up from the entrance hall of the stone house, she used the stairs that came up from the kitchen. Just as she entered the upstairs hall, Olivia spied Robert, hiding behind a door and shaking with silent laughter. Knowing that her friend was up to something, Olivia skulked quietly forward and spied Robert's reason for laughing-a small puddle of brown slime that blended in with the floor perfectly. Groaning mentally, Olivia realized that Robert probably meant her to step in the slime and slip on it, though why he wanted to play a prank on her, she didn't know. She couldn't use her wand, but darned if she didn't make this backfire on him somehow! An idea struck her, and she tiptoed back downstairs to the kitchen, where after rummaging dedicatedly in the kitchen cupboard, she found a bottle of innocent looking potion. "Perfect!" she whispered, unscrewing the top from the bottle. "Phew, I'd forgotten how much this stuff stinks! Oh well, here goes!"

Olivia crept back upstairs, and began to make her silent way back towards Robert. She was so small that the floorboards didn't even creak underneath her. Finally, when she was just behind Robert, she lifted up the potion bottle and dumped it all over his head in one smooth motion.

Robert gave a high-pitched scream, and no wonder-the potion was essence of belladonna and hollyhock, which together gave the unfortunate person who got doused in it the feeling that their head was on fire. Shrieking and howling, Robert jumped around the hall for a minute before he finally remembered his wand. Lifting it up, a jet of icy water suddenly spewed forth from its tip, drenching both the boy and the floor around him.

Olivia slumped to the floor, she was laughing so hard. "What-what!" spluttered Robert, completed flummoxed. "What in the bloody hell was all that about! What are you thinking?"

Doing her best to restrain her laughter, Olivia said plaintively, "You were waiting for me to walk through that slime, Robert! I had to defend myself!"

Growling, Robert stalked away to change his robes. When he came out of his room, he looked a little happier. "Well, I guess it was a good trick, Liv. You got me. But next time, save your pranks for Malfoy!"

Olivia smiled. "I will if you will." Robert shook her hand, then turned to dry the wet floor with his wand while Olivia went to her room to finish tidying up.

When the last pillow was resting neatly on the bed, Olivia revolved, taking in the room where she had been so happy. The walls were yellow, and all of the material was black and white, an elegant and timeless look. The sun splashing through the windows was bright and cheerful, and still spoke of summer, even though Olivia knew that it, too, was fast fading away. Robert entered, and without saying a word to Olivia, sent her luggage back to her guardian's home with a swish of his wand. "Well? You ready, then?" Nodding, she followed Robert as he left the room.

A few minutes later, after a teary good-bye to Mrs. Potter, the two friends went up the walk to Uncle Peter's attractive cottage. At the doorway, Robert bowed over Olivia's hand. "Don't worry, Twitch. We'll still see each other, and perhaps in more places than you think. I've made arrangements to come and see the Quidditch trials-I want to see you make Beater."

"Oh, Robert! You'll be there? That's wonderful!" Olivia through her arms around her "big brother" and they hugged for a minute before Robert backed off, no doubt feeling that real men didn't stand around hugging little girls.

"Well, see you, then!" Robert looked carefully around, and once he was sure that no one was watching, he turned on a spot and vanished from Olivia's sight.

An hour later, Olivia heard a car's horn honking from the front yard. "Yoo hoo! Olivia darling, we're home!" Running out the front door, Olivia saw Rebecca waving like mad, and Uncle Peter smiling quietly.

"Oh, you're back!" The moment Olivia saw them, she knew that she had missed them. Running towards her family, she threw herself into Uncle Peter's arms, who laughed and whirled her around in the air.

"For the Lord's sake, Peter! Set Olivia down, she's no little girl to toss about!"

"Nonsense, Rebecca, Olivia's still _my_ little girl, and so it counts!" Still, Peter carefully set Olivia back down on the ground, who immediately gave Rebecca a huge embrace.

"Welcome back, you two! I missed you!"

Rebecca returned the warm hug gladly, and then set throatily to Olivia, "We're glad to be home, too, dear. And we've brought you such lovely presents! Just wait until you see!"

The rest of the day followed much in the same vein. Peter and Rebecca looked happy and relaxed, and genuinely glad to see Olivia again. The witch was thrilled with the presents that they had brought back for home from Spain-a beautiful silk shawl with a fringe that slipped through her fingers; there was a choker just like the ones that Spanish dancers wore with a silver pendent of a griffin hanging from a black ribbon, and even a book of Spanish music for the piano, which Olivia immediately sat down and began to play.

The young family began to bind itself together; even though things had changed from when Olivia and Uncle Peter were the only residents of the house, they were now able to make new traditions. Although they spent a lot of time together, going on picnics and playing on the piano and Uncle Peter reading aloud while Olivia and Rebecca did embroidery, Olivia made sure that she slipped off to the Potter's regularly, in order that the newly-weds would have time alone together.

Time flew by on swift wings, and soon it was time for Olivia to return to Hogwarts. Instead of having Uncle Peter drive her all the way to London, Mrs. Potter offered her fireplace, so that Olivia could Floo to the wizarding receiving area at King's Cross station and thus get to the Hogwarts Express with little bother to anyone. The night beforehand, Olivia and her guardians sat in the drawing room together, Uncle Peter reading "A Tale of Two Cities" aloud while Aunt Rebecca embroidered a table cloth and Olivia mended one of her hand-knitted Ravenclaw scarves that had unraveled somehow during the past year.

When Uncle Peter had reached the end of a chapter, Aunt Rebecca turned to Olivia. "Darling, I hope you'll know how much we'll miss you. It's been so lovely having you home; the house will be desolate without you!"

"Right so, right so," said Uncle Peter gruffly.

Casting a gentle look on her guardians, Olivia replied, "I'll miss you, too. But I know that you'll be just fine without me. Besides, I'll be home for Christmas, if you'd like to have me."

"Of course we want you, dear! But if you'd rather stay at school or go home with one of your classmates, we're fine with that, as well. You do what you want to do, Olivia. We want your education to be as _magical_," Rebecca said with a mischievous smile, "as possible."

The next day, Robert knocked on their door early in the morning. He would be sending Olivia's luggage to London for her, and then walking her over to the Potter's home. Olivia ran out to meet her friend. "Good morning, Robert! No slime hidden anywhere, I fondly hope?"

He grinned. "Nary a bit of it, Twitchy. If I had, Mum would have talked my ears off! Are you ready to go?"

"In a moment, I will be. I just have to say good-bye."

"Well, make it snappy. It wouldn't do for you to be late for the Express. I'll just go ahead and send your stuff along, and then we'll head on." Robert strode into the living room where Olivia's trunk and Winnie in her wicker basket were settled.

Uncle Peter and Aunt Rebecca gathered Olivia into a warm embrace. Uncle Peter leaned down and whispered, "Let's have a quieter school year this term, shall we? I really don't want to hear about you getting in any sort of a mess, if you don't mind."

Giggling slightly, Olivia replied, "I'll do my best, Uncle, but at Hogwarts, anything and everything has been known to happen. Promise to write me?"

"Of course, now that I've got that benighted pigeon that you call an owl figured out. Maybe this year she won't, err, relieve herself every time I ask her to deliver a blasted letter!"

"I sincerely hope not too, Uncle! I'll tell Peachy to mind her manners." Olivia turned to Aunt Rebecca, who gave her a quick kiss.

"Good luck this year, darling. Be sure and write often! We'll send your birthday presents along. I do wish that you didn't have a birthday that fell during the school year!"

"So do I, but never mind that. It will be a wonderful year, Aunt Rebecca. Now, do take care of Uncle Peter while I'm gone, won't you? I can promise that it won't be an easy job!"

"I'll do my best," promised Rebecca, and the two laughed easily together.

"Here, now," said Robert with a twinkle in his eye, trying to look annoyed as he entered the room, "is all the sentimental bullocks over with? Ready to go now, Liv?"

"Oh, but Robert, I would have thought you'd enjoy the _sentimentality_ of the moment! What, is the moment too…._hot_ for you? I'd be happy to get you some water."

"Ha, ha, my side is hurting from laughter. Come on, then, let's go." Olivia threw her aunt and uncle one last kiss, and then followed her friend out the door.

An hour later, Olivia was whirling within one of the fireplaces of King's Cross Station. A high pitched voice reached her ear as she nearly fell out of the massive hearth that she found herself in. "One from the villages, I see! Move along, then, ducks, got another precious little chit coming along in a minute!" A witch, dressed in shockingly pink robes with flashing white hearts, giggled horridly as she pushed Olivia away from the fireplace.

"Uh, thanks," Olivia said, at a loss for words.

"Don't mind her, dearie," said a bemused looking wizard towards Olivia's right in the dark and almost cavernous office. "That's Althea Wilson, and she's a little cracked. And I'm the poor fool that has to be her boss!" he moaned.

Without giving a reply, Olivia hastily picked up her fallen knapsack and followed the wizard's pointed finger. As she excited the office, she found to her delight that she was standing right in front of the entrance to Platform nine and three-quarters. Why, this was the easiest it had ever been to get to the train! It was so good to be back again.

Olivia leaned up against the barrier, giving off a wonderful impression of being bored as she looked about her and gazed down at the watch upon her wrist. She was used to getting onto the platform by now, but it was always fun figuring out new ways to do it. When a break in the crowd came, Olivia leaned back, and with a plop, she fell right through it.

There, shining in front of her, was the beautiful scarlet Hogwarts Express, belching steam and looking wonderful. She was home again, back in the wizarding world. It was truly wonderful to be back.


	6. Popositions and Exchanges

Disclaimer: I do not own anything that Rowling owns.

Note: I am officially done with exams! Hurrah for me! Hopefully you'll be getting updates with much more regularity. Thanks for hanging in there, and please review! Even if it's only a nice comment, I'd appreciate it more than you know! It's just a little button…just click it….good lads and lasses!

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Olivia looked about herself eagerly, trying to locate her friends. Every few minutes more young witches and wizards and their families would pop through the barrier, and the noise on the train platform was almost deafening with the shouts, screams, and cries of so many happy, and in some cases, sorrowful, wizards. Olivia could easily see who the first years were, as they looked nervously around while still managing to look completely excited. It was even easier to see who the Muggle borns were, as they looked at the witch mothers performing Scouring Charms, or at the remaining Jordan brother, Wilfred, set off fireworks. Wesley, Wilfred's brother and partner in crime, had graduated last year. Olivia had wondered how Wesley would be doing on his own, but she was pleased to see that he looked to be handling his isolation well. After all, he was a fifth year, this term. Wilfred spotted Olivia, and came over to say hello. They had gotten to know each other last year, when the Jordan brothers had helped Olivia in her joke war against Malfoy.

"Hey, Liv! How are you doing? Have a good summer?" Wilfred's spiky hair reached toward the sky, and he was in a state of wiggly excitement.

She nodded happily. "It was decent-my guardian got married, so I spent a fair bit of time over at Robert's house."

Wilfred's eyes lit up-he and Robert were good friends. "Blimey! Wish I could have gotten to spent some time with Rob. How's he doing, the deserter?"

"He's doing quite well in his Auror training, but I think he misses Hogwarts. I don't know that he was quite prepared to accept the responsibility of being an adult yet. What's Wesley up to?"

"He had no idea what he wanted to do with himself, so my dad's pulled him in to work in his shop in Hogsmeade. Wes hates it, but I suppose its good experience for him. Dad makes him do inventory and stocking and all sorts of boring work, but Dad says it'll keep Wes out of trouble until he figures out what he wants to do with himself."

Olivia looked off into the distance for a moment. "It won't be the same at Hogwarts without him…at least we'll get to see him on our Hogsmeade weekends, though. I get to start going this year."

Wilfred looked interested. "Really? Blimey, Liv, that's great! Hey, why don't you walk around with me on your first weekend? I can show you around, and we could even go and see if it's possible to bust Wesley out of the store for an hour or so. How about it?"

Olivia was bewildered at the strange look of hope that she saw on Wilfred's face. Somehow, she had the feeling that he was asking her to walk around Hogsmeade with him as more than a casual outing with a friend. Did this mean that he liked her? But he was a fifth year, for goodness' sake! She was only twelve, albeit twelve for only a few more weeks. What could he possibly see in someone that was so much younger than him?

More to the point, what could she say? First of all, she had never even considered dating someone before, and it was very difficult to see Wilfred as anything other than a friend. Besides, what would Uncle Peter say? Surely he would have some rules about dating, you would think.

Wilfred cleared his throat at Olivia's long silence. "Uh, Olivia? Do you want to go, or don't you?"

Uncle Peter didn't have to know anything about this. Of course, she could never deceive her guardian…but she didn't even really know what Wilfred's intentions were. It was possible that he was just asking as a friend. In case she was wrong about her suspicions, she would just go along with it. Besides, Wilfred was a good boy, and she could do worse than spend an afternoon with him.

Arriving to a clear answer, Olivia replied, "Certainly, Wilfred. That would be fun." The Hogwarts Express' whistle suddenly went screeching through the air just as Wilfred's grin spread across his entire face.

"Come on, Olivia! It's time to board the train!" The two ran towards the long scarlet train, where Olivia was delighted to see a few of her roommates just starting to get onboard.

"Bertie! Mattie! Oh, Millie! It's so good to see you all! The summer was too long!"

Millie smiled widely at her best friend. Even though she and Olivia had exchanged letters faithfully over the summer, nothing really prepared Olivia for the change in her friend and former enemy. Millie had grown a few more inches, but had lost the swarthy look of her childhood. Instead, she had become quite willowy, and Olivia noted the fact that Millie had definitely entered puberty. Millie was on the road to becoming a woman, and everyone with eyes in their heads could tell that she would become exceptionally beautiful. Her chestnut hair had lightened a few shades from the sun, and had become a soft brown that was almost blonde. A few freckles sprouted across Millie's nose, but they just gave Millie an impish look that clashed quite pleasingly with her fine features.

Mattie, meanwhile, had still kept the round shape that she'd had as an eleven-year-old, but it just made her look cute, like a little butterball. Her brown hair was no longer in chestnut braids, however, but was pinned up on her head, like Madame Galen's hair. Her bright blue eyes sparkled brightly out of her face, star-like in their brilliance. Olivia thought that Mattie looked quaint, like an old-fashioned girl that had been raised on a farm of some sort. However, while Mattie's face and figure both told of her kindness and compassion, they managed to effectively hide her wit and fire. There was no more loyal friend that Mattie, and she protected those she cared about fiercely.

Bertie's hair was still cut about her face, in a style that was coming to be known as a bob. Her light green eyes were now hidden behind new round glasses that winked in the sunlight pouring in through Platform nine and three-quarters' skylights, but her body had at last caught up with her hands and feet. Bertie now walked with such grace that she almost appeared to float above the floor.

Olivia flew into the arms of her friends, who shouted with joy and chattered with such energy that nobody could hear anybody else, and Wilfred had to shepherd them all onto the train as the scarlet engine began to pull away from the station. Somehow, the girls managed to find an empty compartment, and Wilfred left them at the door of it, looking distinctly uncertain as to what the proper protocol was in this sort of situation. Once Olivia was safely delivered, however, he headed further down the train, where he was glad to see some of the boys from his dormitory waiting for him.

Meanwhile, the chatter had grown to such volume in the Ravenclaws' compartment that other students had started to bang on the walls in protest of the noise. Seizing the moment, Millie put two fingers to her lips, and proceeded to let out such a loud whistle that Olivia feared the window glass would crack. All of the girls fell silent instantly.

"Goodness, Millie, where did you learn such a whistle? Heavens, I thought that you were the train's whistle for a minute!" Bertie said, shaking her head as if to rid her ears of the sound.

Millie grinned. "Sorry, ladies. Spending the summer around a bunch of small witches and wizards teaches you how to get people's attention quickly. Now then, let's try to organize ourselves somewhat. Does anybody know where Anita and Viola are? I thought they'd be sitting with us!"

Bertie almost leapt from her seat in her excitement of knowing some news. "Anita's not coming to Hogwarts this year!"

"What?" "Why not" No Anita? Horrid!" The cries of indignation and sorrow burst from all corners of the room at once. Millie threateningly raised her fingers to her mouth again, which instantly caused a deep and abiding silence to fall over the compartment.

Bertie cleared her throat. "No, she's not coming to Hogwarts. But it's good news about why she's not, don't worry. You know how Anita comes from such a rich family, and about how her mother and father are always talking about wanting her to get some foreign experience? Well, Anita's going to be getting some of that experience! She's going away to another magic school in France for a whole year! She wrote me a letter about it….she said it's called the Beauxbaton's Academy of Magic. How about that for some interesting news?"

Pandemonium erupted in the car, but it was much quieter. Nobody wanted to hear that whistle again. Finally, things quieted down enough for Olivia to ask, "How long is she going to go there, Bertie? Do you know?"

Bertie shrugged. "I got the feeling that it depends on how well Anita gets on there. If she does really well, she can stay as long as she likes. If she doesn't fit in and does badly on her schoolwork, then she'll only get to stay for a year. But there's even more news, girls."

"Merlin's beard!" exclaimed Millie. "Whatever could beat the news of Anita becoming an exchange student?"

Bertie could barely contain her excitement. "That's exactly it, Millie! Anita's going to be an exchange student-so a Beauxbaton's student will be coming to Hogwarts in her place! It's a girl our age, but she'll be Sorted just after the first years. If she's placed in Ravenclaw, she'll be placed with us!"

Olivia clapped her hands with glee. "Marvelous! Won't that be interesting, to have a new girl in our room? Viola would love having someone to speak French with! Speaking of Viola, where is she, anyway? I haven't seen her."

Just as these words were leaving Olivia's lips, the sliding door to the girl's compartment opened, and a small figure fell right through it and landed in a heap on the floor. Olivia gasped when she realized that the figure was Viola herself, and she had been hexed!

"Goodness! She's got the Leg-Locker curse on her!" Before Bertie could even finish her statement, Olivia had whipped out wand and had released Viola from the curse, as well as the Silencing Charm that had been laid on the French girl.

Sputtering angrily, Viola was helped to her feet by Olivia and Millie. "Nevah, nevah een my life!" Viola spit out. Her roommates had never seen her in such a towering anger before. "Eet eez an outrage! I shall bee reporting theez to Professor Merrythought, you can bee sure of that!"

"But Viola, dear, what happened? Who cursed you?" asked Olivia as she helped Viola to a seat.

"Eet was that 'orrible, evil boy, Abraxus Malfoy! I was coming to join you all, when 'e stepped into the corridor. 'E grinned zee most 'orrible grimace and then 'e cursed me! Just as 'e was walkeeng away, 'e said, 'That's for your leetle friend, Ohleevea! Welcome back to Hogwarts!' Then 'e was gone, and I was left alone to struggle. Eet is madness!"

A grim and hard look came over Olivia's face. "I can't believe he cursed you, Viola! Just because you're my friend! Don't worry…I'll take care of this."

Mattie turned a stern eye on Olivia. "You'll take care of it by reporting the incident to Professor Merrythought, and then stopping this ridiculous joke war, Olivia! Viola's right, its madness! To you it just may be a bit of fun, not worth a huge amount of tumult. But for Malfoy, he'll turn it to his own devices! I promise, he won't stop until he's hurt you! And I won't stand for it!"

Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I certainly don't want anybody to be hurt by it, Mattie. I do think that Viola should report all of this to Professor Merrythought. But I'm not going to sit tamely by while he curses my friends and not do something that may teach him a lesson! What do you take me for, a weakling?"

"Of course not, Livie! I just think that you should stop playing jokes on Malfoy. That way, if he does something, you won't get into trouble! You won't have provoked it, and you wouldn't have done anything wrong. Don't you see how smart that would be?"

"I see your point, Mattie…I'll try." Olivia sighed heavily. "But I had such great pranks worked out for this year!"

Viola leaned for eagerly. "Ooo, what eez ze plan, Ohleevea? I am so interested!"

Mattie looked at Viola as if the French girl had suddenly taken leave of her senses. "Hello, is Viola Valois around? Viola Valois, the same girl that just got cursed, and was completely furious about it?"

Viola shrugged. "Just because I got cursed does not mean that I am not interested, Mattie. I would like to see theez Malfoy punished for his bad, bad deed. Would you not?"

"You mean to tell me that I just had a fight with Olivia over you, when you don't mind her playing pranks, Viola?" Mattie groaned and put her face into her hands. Everyone laughed, and any tension that there had been in the room cleared away.

The long hours on the train quickly fell away as the girls visited and told what had happened during their summers. When Olivia told the girls about the bomb exploding at her guardian's wedding, there was another explosion of sound. It took a long time for that particular piece of news to be talked through to the complete satisfaction of everyone involved.

When she told of staying with the Potters, Mattie leaned forward eagerly. "Did you see Darcy at all, Livie? How is she doing?"

"Goodness, I can't believe I forgot to tell you! I only saw Darcy for one day of the summer…and it wasn't a happy day. I don't think she was terribly thrilled to see me at the Potter's house. Anyway, the long and short of it is by the time Darcy left that night, she and Robert were no longer together."

"Olivia! You're kidding! I didn't think they'd break up so soon." Bertie looked surprised, and Olivia turned to her with some amazement. "Oh, I always knew that they weren't right together. I knew they'd break up eventually; I just didn't think it would be this summer."

Rolling her eyes heavenward, Olivia said sarcastically, "Bertha Guernsey: prophetess of Hogwarts and relationships. That's what they'll call you in the years to come. After all, aren't you going to take Divination?"

"Ha, ha, Olivia, very funny. I'm only taking Divination because I'm not interested in Ancient Runes, Muggle Studies, or Arithmancy. I don't want to be a prophetess of anything, thank you very much."

It was getting dark outside when the train shuddered to a halt. Olivia and the other girls, having already changed into their school robes, made their way off the train and into the carriages that awaited them, drawn by invisible horses and guided by an invisible magic towards the beautiful school that waited for them somewhere in the distance


End file.
